Real Weddings: Liz Henderson & Cory Maccumbee

Sep 29, 2015 11:35AM
● By Cate Reynolds

May 17, 2015 // The Westin // Natalie Franke Photography

By Tina Byland

The Couple. Liz, a consultant, and Cory, a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, met when they were both on vacation in Florida. Cory was deploying to Afghanistan a month later and the two kept in touch through mail for the first eight months of their blooming friendship. Soon after he returned stateside, Cory visited Liz in New York and they quickly realized they had something special.

The Proposal. Soon after moving to Arlington, Virginia, Liz started a new job. That night, Cory took Liz out to celebrate. They ate dinner in D.C. and then decided to walk around the monuments at sunset. As they were taking a picture together in front of the Washington Monument, Cory knelt down to propose. Liz was completely surprised. “I truly believed we were just going out to celebrate my new job,” she recalls.

Before the Ceremony. The night before their wedding, they exchanged love notes. After that, they had no communication until the ceremony. The cards they wrote both expressed the reasons why they couldn’t wait for their future together. The morning of their wedding, they read the cards in private.

The Ceremony. The couple’s favorite moment from the ceremony happened out of remembrance. “We sadly do not have our grandparents with us anymore,” Liz shares. So during their ceremony, before the first kiss as husband and wife, their Rabbi wrapped her grandfather’s Tallit (prayer shawl) around both of their hands as a reminder of knowing they were always with them.

The Details. Liz and Cory left a note for each guest at their place setting thanking them for their love, support, and being with them to celebrate. The guestbook was a ‘Message in a bottle’ where they asked guests to sign. They now keep the bottle with the signed paper, displayed in their home. They also had personalized shot glasses at each setting with their names and wedding date.

The Honeymoon. Two days after the wedding, Liz and Cory left for Barbados. It is a time they will always remember and cherish.

The Happily Ever After. Liz and Cory see married life as a lot like life before the wedding day. However, there are a lot of unknowns in their future. This doesn’t bother them. “What we both know for certain is that, no matter where we are or what we’re doing, we’ll be happier doing it together,” shares Liz.